Monthly Archives: August 2009

I like to enter the 2 Things Challenge each week. This week is Cause / Effect. This is my entry for Cause & Effect. Â I hope you like it!!Â Â This vibrant, colorful painting is my Cause & EffectÂ ….. In case you don’t understand my concept here … the small bubble … which is very hard, speeds towards the bubble and makes a hole right through the center!! Not only that … the dark green of the ball interacts with the yellow green of the bubble to combine into a mid green.Â Here are the entries for last weekâ€™s Star / Appeal.Â Anyone can join in, and I hope you give it a try!! We would love more people playing with us! Details are at this link above.

The Design Style Guide is a wonderful place that is bringing together thousands of items that are appropriate for Home Decor. Their main purpose is to promote the team and its members to InteriorÂ Designers (and like-minded consumers) through various promotions andÂ advertising techniques.Â Â This is part of the move to promote handmade items instead of mass produced things. TheirÂ focus is on marketing andÂ branding â€œHandmade Home Decorâ€ to professional Interior Designers.

Design Style Guide Giveaway #4

They are having a series of giveaways – the current one with Joan of TheGiftHutch at Etsy.Â This is a free giveaway and I encourage you to join in and see if you can win!!Â The deadline is September 2 – so join in today!!Â Here are the details about the giveaway on the Design Style Blog.Â Joan creates beautiful pillows, sachets and other gifts and I encourage to go join in the giveaway and also look at her Etsy shop. This is a great opportunity and let’s hope one of us wins!

Every week Illustration Friday has a challenge for a specific word. It is a great way to showcase your work and a wonderful opportunity to meet lots of wonderful people! Anyone can join in with their entry to Illustration Friday. I so much enjoy doing this challenge. This week is Wrapped. This vibrant, colorful painting of Wrapped shows this mountain being Wrapped by bubbles!Â I encourage you to check Illustration Friday out! Lots of fun people and paintings!Â Thank you for stopping by!!

This vibrant, colorful painting of Turtle Goddess is another a window into the soul – a Soul Painting.Â It is too hot to do or write anything more … but I wanted to say HI to you!!Â What do you see, feel, experience with this painting?Â Thank you for stopping by!!

It is hard to believe that Woodstock was already 40 years ago.Â I am one of the people who was really there – not just feeling like I was there from the movies.Â I still have my tickets … and the little ceramic animals someone threw from the stage.Â It was a wonderful experience … it was amazing as we drove toward the festival, the traffic just stopped … the whole highway was clogged by abandoned cars .. abandoned on the way to Woodstock.Â So we got out of the car with whatever we had … and started walking …

Much has been said about the Woodstock experience … each person had a different thread of being and yet we all wove together an incredible tapestry …Â the details of my own individual time seem so unimportant … it the beauty of the whole that truly matters .. and there are plenty of stories all around.

Woodstock is an important milestone on the journey of creating a better world.Â In my opinion the Civil Rights Movement, then the anti-Vietnam war (anti the war, NOT anti the soldiers – my friends and I was always very clear about that!) moved us toward Woodstock.Â Music has been such a vehicle to inspire and transform people (like art can be too) .. and there was already very powerful music from both of those movements.

To me, much of the explosion of movements for various social justice issues were supported by Woodstock.Â Woodstock was part of their foundation, just like the Civil Rights and anti-war movements were foundations of Woodstock.Â Of course, these are only snapshots of movements through history … lots happened before the lifetime of the Flower Children.

Clamshell Alliance brought together large groups of people, committed to a common purpose (supporting alternative energy that was good for the environment – now, of course, most people realize we need sustainable energy). Of course, there were no drugs or alcohol allowed there … and much of the good will and all working together were formalized into affinity groups where people knew they were responsible for and to each other.Â Every participant was trained in non-violence theory and practice and needed to make a commitment to non-violenceÂ – that was a continuation of Woodstock, among other influences (like Ghandi).

Many other groups came together in the 1970’s to create the world of peace, love and social justice.Â I do not see Woodstock as separate from this at all … but as part of a continuum.Â In the movie I watched last night -Â “Woodstock: Now and Then” – it suggested that Woodstock was an incredible stand alone phenomenon.Â (At least that was my understanding of what was said by some of the organizers.) There were lots of interviews including Michael Lang, Artie Cornfeld, Richie Havens, Graham Nash and others….

Wonderful as Woodstock was (as an idea even more than the actual experience …), it’s impact is multiplied by understanding it in the context of the history of the wondrous journey of people coming together to create a better world.Â Ghandi in India, union organizers in the US, the Freedom Train to help escaped slaves and the Suffrage Movement for women to get the vote – all these movements are part of the foundation that made Woodstock the fantastic time, memory and inspiration that it remains.

I like to enter the 2 Things Challenge each week. This week is Star / Appeal. This is my entry for Star & Appeal. Â I hope you like it!!Â Â This vibrant, colorful painting is a different kind of 2 Things Challenge – I hope it worksÂ …..Â Here are the entries for last weekâ€™s Yellow / Brick.Â Anyone can join in, and I hope you give it a try!! We would love more people playing with us! Details are at this link above.

Every week Illustration Friday has a challenge for a specific word. It is a great way to showcase your work and a wonderful opportunity to meet lots of wonderful people! Anyone can join in with their entry to Illustration Friday. I so much enjoy doing this challenge. This week is Impatience. This vibrant, colorful painting of Impatience shows this bubble being very Impatient while some other bubbles are attempting to keep their peace of mind and serenity!! Even though it is difficult!!Â I encourage you to check Illustration Friday out! Lots of fun people and paintings!Â Thank you for stopping by!!

This vibrant, colorful painting of Golden Inner Glow seems to come from and speak directly to the Soul.Â The richness of the golds and purples feels very spiritual to me …Â like a window into the soul.Â I also see a goddess who can guide us and help us stay in touch with our highest purpose.Â What do you see, feel, experience with this painting?Â Thank you for stopping by!!

Yesterday I wrote a post asking Which Mug Do You Prefer? I showed two mugs that I created – one at CafePress and one at Zazzle and asked which people preferred.Â More questions also came up from this post .. so I thought I would do another show and tell.Â Further down are the links to the earlier parts of this ongoing series about marketing.

This is the original image that I have started with – one of my vibrant, colorful paintings.Â It is a photograph of my best kitty that then I have digitally enhanced. Felicia Kramer asked “Question: did you do anything different when you submitted your artwork to the sites or was it basically identical?” Â This is a fantastic question, Felicia, because I did do something very different.

CafePress and Zazzle each have templates that you can download so you can make sure you are prepping your files correctly to make your work come out great!Â The first picture above is the template for the mug at CafePress … so you can see that I have put 2 sets of images there to be placed on the mug.Â Most people only put one image so I thought putting 2 images was very creative!

When I started at Zazzle – quite a bit later – I realized that I wanted people to be able to see my lovely kitty, Freckles, even more clearly – so I can up with using the image 3 times.Â So this is one big difference.Â I want to emphasize that the templates to begin with are not identical.

But there are a couple of other differences also.Â The size of the 2 mugs are different …. I forget which is larger … but the image sits on the mug in various ways …you can see that from the pictures from yesterday’s post – there are links there to the actual mugs.Â It looks like there is a lid to the Zazzle mug – I am not sure.Â And obviously, Zazzle markets their mugs in an unusual way …Â CafePress has the photo of the mug straight on – but Zazzle is at an angle and I think it is a very creative way to show a mug.

Awhile ago were Part I,Â Part II, Part III, Part IVraman amplifier, Part V, Part VI,Â Part VII and Part VIII in this art marketing series – this is all in response to Sue O’Kieffe of Sacred Circle Mandalas (http://sacred-circle-mandalas.blogspot.com) who recently wrote me “i am curious to know out of all the ways you sell your art, which is the most profitable for you and which is the most enjoyable?” I have been getting some good feedback from various people that this is being helpful to them.Â There are a lot of details in all theses other posts too.

I welcome hearing from others what your experiences and thoughts are!!Â We may differ for sure!Â I hope that we can help each other know the strengths of each shop.Â Please feel free to ask questions to get more information – I am glad to share what I can and so are others! … thanks for coming by!!

It is so interesting to me to have such different looking mugs – yet both starting with the same image …Â To make things even more fun, at Zazzle you can choose lots of other styles of mugs before you check out – all with the same image … go check it out.

At CafePress, you can also get the same vibrant colorful painting on different mugs – but I have to prepare those other mugs for you – you yourself can’t just chose the other variations for yourself … this is one of the things in favor of Zazzle.Â Which of these 2 mugs do you prefer?Â Thank you for being in my life!!

Nonnie of the BBEST Team featured me among others on the BBEST Team Blog yesterday.Â There is a lovely writeup …Â In part Nonnie says “Life is mysterious. Life is wonderful. We are all tied together in our history of life. We BBESTers are tied together by our common goals and interests, and more than a few of us share a love for the sea.” Thank you, Nonnie! The BBEST Team at Etsy is a great group of people.Â Here is what they say about BBEST on their BBEST Blog: “The BBEST Team is a vibrant and talented group of Etsians aged 40+ who are dedicated to Etsy which is synonymous with quality handmade items. Our very diverse group provides a place to chat, exchange ideas, help and support like minded members who call themselves the Boomers and Beyond Etsy Street Team.” Featured by BBEST on their blog Here is one of my vibrant, colorful paintings that Nonnie featured on the BBEST in this post.Â Â If you would like to see more vibrant, colorful paintings, check out my Etsy shop. Some of My Paintings Featured on the BBEST Team Blog The BBEST Team at Etsy has a fantastic choice of items!! If you go to Etsy, and put BBEST in the search box, you will find incredible gifts for you and others.Â There is jewelry, art, pottery – I could go on and on … check us out!!Â Also check out the BBEST Team Blog to see more of out …[CLICK TO READ MORE]

Marionette of the VAST team featured me and one of my vibrant colorful paintings on the Etsy Fine Art Gallery Blog. Marionette has a lovely blog “Featuring only the most talented fine artists on Etsy today.”Â I am thrilled to be included in this post!! There are lots of lovely art pieces from very talented artists and I am delighted to be included in this gallery!!Â Thank you! Featured by Marionette on her Etsy Fine Art Gallery Blog ~ Diane Clancy Technorati Tags: Diane Clancy, vibrant colorful painting, Marionette, Etsy, Etsy Fine Art Gallery Blog …[CLICK TO READ MORE]

The Design Style Guide is a wonderful place that is bringing together thousands of items that are appropriate for Home Decor. Their main purpose is to promote the team and its members to InteriorÂ Designers (and like-minded consumers) through various promotions andÂ advertising techniques.Â Â This is part of the move to promote handmade items instead of mass produced things. TheirÂ focus is on marketing andÂ branding â€œHandmade Home Decorâ€ to professional Interior Designers. Design Style Guide Giveaway #3 They are having a series of giveaways – the current one with Felicia Kramer.Â This is a free giveaway and I encourage you to join in and see if you can win!!Â The deadline is August 5 – so join in today!!Â Here are the details about the giveaway on the Design Style Blog.Â Felicia Kramer is a fantastic artist and I encourage to go join in the giveaway and also look at her Etsy shop. This is a great opportunity and let’s hope one of us wins! If you would like to join Design Style Guide, please click here: Thanks for stopping by! ~ Diane Clancy Technorati Tags: Design Style Guide Giveaway, Felicia Kramer …[CLICK TO READ MORE]